Corrections or additions?
This column was published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on December 22,
1999. All rights reserved.
Princetec: The Choice Game
Web designers don’t usually deal with angels and devils,
but for this religiously-oriented computer game, Princetec programmers
needed to draw wings and cloven hooves. Princetec has programmed an
interactive social game for teenagers, The Choice Game, which sells
for $19.95 and teaches values and making the right choices in life
(https://www.thechoicegame.com).
“An angel comes on the screen and guides the teenager in the right
direction, and a demon character tries to mislead the teenager,” says
Mohan Reddy, president of Princetec Inc. To be published in different
languages, the game comes complete with animations and an online link
to a chat room.
Reddy’s 65-employee software consulting firm has expanded from 1,200
square feet at Jefferson Plaza to 3,500 feet at Route 1 South. About
15 people are working in the office and 50 are at client sites.
Princetec ordinarily works on much more mundane projects. For Internet
application development and E-commerce, it has such clients as Lucent,
AT&T, and Chase Manhattan Bank. “We get called when they need to
implement a system very quickly,” says Reddy. “They want to bring in
talent without training people. We hire people who are trained in
latest technology and they get going in the project without any
learning curve.” Princetec is hiring people skilled in Java script,
XML, HTML, website design, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle.
Reddy co-founded Princetec with Srini Nemani and Raj Sajankila. A
graduate of Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Class of 1975, he grew up
in HyderAbad (South India) where his father worked for the government.
Raised in the Roman Catholic Church, Reddy wants to open a shelter in
Trenton and equip it with computer networks to help homeless and poor
people get back into mainstream jobs.
It was an experience at St. Paul’s Church on Nassau Street that put
him in touch with Kathy DiFiore, who developed the concept of the game
for a foundation she created 18 years ago to help unwed mothers.
Several Sources Foundation, a Ramsey-based non-profit group, is
aligned with Roman Catholic organizations. DiFiore appealed to the
congregation at St. Paul’s Church and when Reddy responded to the
appeal she invited him to Lady’s Rest, a daytime shelter, to set up
some computer networks. When DiFiore found out what Reddy did for a
living, she asked him to get his company to complete the game and get
it to market. Reddy put six people on the project.”
“We did it on a pro bono basis,” says Reddy, “and I contributed a lot
of personal time.” The bonus, for the company, is that the employees
learned new skills. “If the game does well, we will get paid back.”
The game has both a secular and a church-related version, and the
latter is being marketed through parochial schools.
Reddy — who has one grown child and one teenager — admits that the
Choice Game may not top teenagers’ lists of what they want most for
Christmas. “The parents are to guide them,” says Reddy. “They should
direct the kids to play the game.”
Princetec Inc., 4365 Route 1 South, Princeton08540. Mohan Reddy, president. 609-720-9800; fax, 609-720-9899.Home page: https://www.princetec.com.Top Of PageCorrection: DuquetteOn December 15 an article and photo on David J. Duquette Jr. andLawrence Cohen mistakenly reported that Duquette and Cohen formedtheir Princeton-based law firm in 1998. In fact, Duquette establishedDuquette & Associates in July, 1998, and employed Cohen in August,1999. Further, Cohen does not work as a broker-dealer or as aninvestment advisor; he provides legal services to broker-dealers,investment advisors, and others in the financial industry.Notes taken at the time of the interview were misinterpreted when thestory was written. U.S. 1 regrets the error.Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
